Ciao tutti! 

My Italian heritage plays a central role in my identity. My great-grandfather Paolo Delfino emigrated from Prata Sannita in the Province of Caserta near Napoli in 1900, settling in the historic Italian neighborhood of Federal Hill, Rhode Island. My great-grandmother Letizia Russo Delfino followed in 1901, arriving with my grandfather Mariano (aka Michael) Delfino and his eight siblings. My father was born and raised in Federal Hill, where he was the first Delfino to attend university. He then moved to Westfield, New Jersey, for work, and it is the place I call my hometown. I worked to preserve strong ties to the Italian culture as I spent much of my childhood surrounded by Italian traditions; my friends and I would also jump on the train to Little Italy in New York City as teenagers. This helped shape my lifelong connection to my roots.  Also, my fondest childhood memories were our visits to my relatives in Federal Hill, Rhode Island, where I was immersed in the culture. 

As passionate world travelers, my wife, Kimberly, and I have explored Italy extensively, from north to south, with Italy remaining my favorite place in the world. I am currently pursuing an Italian citizenship for myself and our three children, with a court hearing in Napoli pending. Kimberly is studying the Italian language as she will take citizenship test after we become citizens. Our long-term dream is to live in Italy and divide time between our beloved Italy and Apex, North Carolina, where I currently reside.

I am a retired technology and operations executive with more than 25 years of experience across some of the world’s most respected companies. I built my career in the technology industry with leadership roles at Nortel, IBM, and Red Hat, developing a deep expertise in supply chain management, procurement, finance, and large-scale business transformation.

I started my career in technology working at Nortel Networks, where I served as a buyer for wireless transmission stations. I had an opportunity at IBM that I jumped on due to its iconic brand, scale, and leadership in technology. During my 20-year tenure at IBM, I managed various global commodities for the company’s PC and server businesses, later serving as an executive consultant in finance, where I led integration and transformation initiatives for newly acquired companies. In my final role at IBM, I oversaw the strategic relationship among AT&T, Cisco, and IBM, ensuring operational alignment and high-level partnership management. I left IBM to join Red Hat to become the chief procurement officer, playing a key role in Red Hat’s integration into IBM following its acquisition.

In addition to my corporate career, I proudly served six years in the United States Navy, including deployments during Desert Storm and Desert Shield. Originally, I trained as a sonar technician; I then transitioned after the Cold War to the Visit, Board, Search, and Seizure (VBSS) special operations team, conducting maritime interdiction missions focused on contraband search and seizure.

Outside of my professional and cultural pursuits, I love spending time with my family, cooking Italian cuisine for everyone, playing golf, and sport cars. Kimberly and I have been married for 23 years and have three children: twins attending NC State and UNC Chapel Hill and a younger son who is a high school sophomore. Our two dogs, Sydney and Roman, keep the home lively, and we all look forward to our daily walks.

With my deep Italian roots, lifelong passion for Italian culture, extensive leadership experience, and commitment to community, I am honored to support the mission of Festa Italiana North Carolina and help celebrate, preserve, and promote Italian heritage across the region.